Guide fences are employed with a wide variety of power tools where a workpiece is moved relative to a stationary cutting mechanism. The guide fence provides a straight surface against which the workpiece may be guided in order to ensure a uniform cut.
A first type of guide fence provides a continuous guiding surface which clamps to the table of the power tool by releasable clamping mechanisms located at the longitudinal ends of the guiding surface. Such guide fences are well suited for use in connection with power tools which require a guiding surface remotely positioned from the cutting mechanism, such as a bench saw. However, such guide fences are not suited for use in connection with power tools which require a guiding surface aligned with the cutting mechanism.
A second type of fence guide suited for use in connection with power tools which require a guiding surface aligned with the cutting mechanism employs a guiding surface with a centrally located gap for accommodating the cutting mechanism. The central gap is generally provided by either removing a section from a single continuous guiding surface or employing two separate guiding surfaces. The central gap is generally sized as small as possible to reduce the risk of misalignment as the workpiece passes over the gap while accommodating the largest cutting mechanism capable of being used in the tool. However, because of the substantial differences in the sizes of cutting mechanisms typically employable in power tools, the gap is often considerably larger than that necessary to accommodate the particular cutting mechanism being employed.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for a guide fence capable of providing a central gap which can be readily adjusted to customize the size and shape of the gap to a particular cutting mechanism.